Author: Rain Gilman

Ballard Sprouts is a proud Sustainable Ballard project. We are funded by the Seattle Giving Garden Network (SGGN.org).  The SGGN fundraiser started on November 15th runs until December 15th at 9am but don’t wait until then, donate here:

https://donate.seedmoney.org/7769/seattle-giving-garden-network-2022

Your donations will help purchase seeds, seeding soil, transplanting soil, fertilizer and other supplies that we will use for the 2023 growing season.

Michael, pictured above, has been a faithful monitor of the greenhouse and of all the young transplants which then grow in his yard. In two years, June 2024, Michael is retiring and Sprouts will need to find a new greenhouse. We would like to use the next two growing seasons to transfer our procedures and knowledge so that the Sprouts program can continue.  In fact, we would love to duplicate this project in 2-3 other locations in Seattle in order to reach a more diverse community of gardeners. But we are particularly looking for a greenhouse in Ballard because we have over 30 loyal volunteers in this area.  If you or your neighbors have a backyard greenhouse and would be interested in participating in this project then please email info@sggn.org for more information.  These pilots could start this February with a goal of perhaps 1,000-1,500 plants, with room to grow into the future.

Join Idle Free Ballard in educating our friends and neighbors about unnecessary vehicle idling, which wastes millions of gallons of fuel in the US every day. Turn off your car while waiting at the Ballard Bridge, in the donation line at Goodwill, or picking up kiddos at school or sports.  Protect health, air quality, and climate! We have cards and posters to share. To learn more and help, visit https://www.sustainableballard.org/idle-free-ballard/

Do you love film? Are you interested in making a meaningful contribution to your community? If you answered yes to both of the previous questions you may just be exactly what our Meaningful Movies Project is looking for!

The Meaningful Movies Project is a non-profit organization that assists neighborhoods, groups and individuals to organize, educate and advocate using the power of social justice documentary film and relevant conversation to build positive and meaningful community and a more just and peaceful world.

“Meaningful Movies” are neighborhood film & discussion events (and groups), organized around shared principles.  We focus on social impact films that pertain to sustainability in Ballard. Meaningful Movies : Sustainable Ballard is one of 29 groups, mostly in western Washington, who present documentaries in their communities.

You can help grow this important community-building tool! If interested or would like more info please contact Jenny Heins.

It’s once again time for our annual barter fair! This year we’ll be at the Ballard VFW located at 2812 NW Market Street. Come join us for a fun and festive afternoon. So get crafting, creating, and making your items to barter. Barter starts at 2pm but come earlier to set up and visit with your neighbors.

What do you have to offer?  For ease of trading, items should be have a $5-10 or $15-20 value.  Bigger items or services can be traded for multiples of the lower value items. Don’t have something to trade? Cash is also an acceptable option, or just come by to socialize and enjoy some free refreshments!

We all know that helping others is rewarding. In addition to helping someone else volunteering also gives one the opportunity to learn something new, meet new people, make lasting friendships, and accomplish something meaningful with others. So if you’ve been looking for something to do in these darker colder days as we approach winter & the holiday season please take a look at the opportunities listed below. We love our volunteers and wouldn’t be the thriving organization we are without you!

Ballard Knitters for people experiencing homelessness needs knitters- from beginners to experts. Warm hats & scarfs are going to be needed this winter more than ever. So come to Pour Decisions Tuesday Dec. 13th 7-9pm to get started or drop off knitted items with Project lead Jody.  Contact Jody at jodytgrage@gmail.com

After a bit of a hiatus our Free Letters Home project is gearing up again for the holiday season. For this we will be working with our friends at Ballard food bank on two Tuesdays December 6 and 13, from 1:00pm until 2:30pm.  If anyone would like to join me, please get in touch. We are in need of donations of postage stamps(especially needed!) and holiday/note cards. Did you know that there are 700 people who get their mail at the food bank? If you would like to help out please contact Andrea (email Andrea)

Idle free Ballad needs people to educate folks about the costs of unnecessary vehicle idling! We could use your help to: Hand out cards and posters to your friends, neighbors, local shops, etc. Can you contact schools to educate parents and students? We have a sample article for newsletters and a link to signage.
If you want cards or posters (we deliver), or want to learn more please visit https://www.sustainableballard.org/idle-free-ballard/

Our Market Gleaning team is in need of some new volunteers to help gather produce at the Ballard Sunday Market and deliver it to the Ballard Food Banks. A lot of the gleaning volunteers we gained during COVID are starting to drop off, and we tend to have the same volunteers week after week. The commitment is from 1:45 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays. We’d like to build our volunteer group so that everyone commits to just one Sunday a month, but we’ll work with whatever schedule works for you. To learn more about this project or get involved, contact Olivia!

These are just some of the fun volunteer opportunities we have available right now. Check out https://www.sustainableballard.org/projects/ for other project info.

Kristin is new to volunteering with SB but has volunteered with other local organizations and groups for years including Seattle Tilth Alliance and the Swedish Club. Having enjoyed attending previous Sustainable Ballard events and liking our organization’s mission she decided to volunteer with us. She was a rockstar on the Cider Press at this year’s Sustainability Festival held at Loyal Heights Community Center. Thank you Kristin!

Are you, or is someone you know, ready to (re)acquaint yourself with the water we swim in–and the current always at our backs–as a white person in this society?

This winter we are offering one virtual, facilitated study group for white people about white privilege, white supremacy and the role white people can play in dismantling racism, using the book What Does It Mean To Be White? [Revised Edition], by Robin DiAngelo. Please share widely, and join us if you can!

Six Tuesday evenings over Zoom, 7 to 8:45 pm

January 17, 24, 31, and February 7, 14, 21, 2023

Participants limited to 8

No fee

Books are available on-loan for the duration of the study group, if needed

Facilitated by Roger Roffman

Registration required! Email Roger at roffman@uw.edu.

Dr. DiAngelo has been a consultant, educator and facilitator for over 20 years on issues of racial and social justice. She is the author of many books and articles, including, most recently, Nice Racism. Her work has been featured widely, including the Seattle Public Library, NPR, Slate, and The New Yorker. To learn more, visit robindiangelo.com.

Breaking White Silence Northwest supports the formation of free, facilitated groups of white people studying literature on whiteness, particularly the book, What Does It Mean To Be White? [Revised Edition], by Robin DiAngelo. Each group functions as an incubator and springboard, providing brave space for white people to begin to understand their own positioning within white supremacy and to gain key resources to sustain meaningful anti-racist action. 

Founded in 2016, Breaking White Silence Northwest is an all-volunteer project that aims to help white people gain white racial literacy, which we believe to be a keystone step–one of countless steps–in the lifelong process of building personal and collective capacity to take effective action toward racial justice. Our project plays a modest part in a vast network of activists, projects and organizations collectively working toward dismantling white supremacy. Contact info@breakingwhitesilencenw.org or explore our website breakingwhitesilencenw.org to learn more. 

Ballard Sprouts is a proud Sustainable Ballard project. We are funded by the Seattle Giving Garden Network(SGGN).  The SGGN fundraiser started on November 15th runs until December 15th but don’t wait until then, donate here:

https://donate.seedmoney.org/7769/seattle-giving-garden-network-2022

Your donations will help purchase seeds, seeding soil, transplanting soil, fertilizer and other supplies that we will use for the 2023 growing season.

Each year Ballard Sprouts starts 20,000 seeds in February and tends these small plants until the weather is warm enough to plant outside.  These healthy, organic plants are donated to Seattle Giving Gardeners.  These gardeners grow the plants, harvest them and donate the produce to Seattle Food Banks and food needy communities. These plants give the gardeners a head start on the growing season.

 

For more about SGGN see, https://www.sggn.org

For more about our fiscal sponsor GROW see, https://www.grownorthwest.org

Please forward this to your gardening friends and family and thank you for your support!

So far in 2022 Sustainable Ballard Knitters have donated 408 hats and 122 scarves which breaks our previous record!  A shout out to all those who left a steady stream of warmies on Jody’s porch this year even though we didn’t see them in person. After a slow recovery from Covid and the summer knitting hiatus for some, it was great to see over 20 participants – three of them new to the group – at Pour Decisions in November.  Another knitter even joined at the recent Volunteer Thank You party.  

So if you’ve been looking for a way to help neighbors in need while making new friends please join us at Pour Decisions at 15th NW and NW 80th on Tuesday December 13th from 7-9pm. Yarn, needles, and knitting instruction always available. The prediction is for a wetter and colder winter than usual and there is no housing available at this time, so we are needed more than ever.  

For more information, contact Jody at jodytgrage@gmail.com

In its first year, Idle Free Ballard has distributed nearly 1,000 idle free cards to neighbors, schools, churches and community groups! Millions of gallons of fuel are wasted in the US every day by unnecessary idling. Turn off your car while waiting at the Ballard Bridge, in line at the Starbucks drive-through, or picking up a kiddo at school. Remember, idling gets you nowhere!! To learn more, visit https://www.sustainableballard.org/idle-free-ballard/